Display container and holder



Apr. 1 7, 1923.

Filed May 12 1921 Patented Apr. 17, 1923..

UNITED STATES HERMANN KIND, OF STAPLETON, NEW YORK.

DISPLAY CONTAINER AND HOLDER.

Application filed May 12, 1921. Serial No. 468,874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that HERMANN KIND, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Stapleton, Staten Island, county of Richmond, and State of New York, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display Containers and Holders; and he hereby declares the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in display containers and holders, and more particularly refers to a display stand for articles which is capable of being either suspended from a support overheador placed upon a show-case or the like, and wherein articles, such as file blades, manicure files, or other articles of cutlery may be suitably supported in full view of pros pective purchasers who may make their selections from the displays, the vacated display space being subsequently replenished from a supply of stock held in compartments at the rear of the display body.

It is an object of the invention to provide a compact display device for displaying and holding in reserve relatively large quantities of stock of various sizes or types which may be substituted for the articles on display as they are sold and in which a cover is provided to prevent the articles in the stock compartments from es caping therefrom, while also providing an easel support for the body of the "display device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto. j p

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an im proved display container and holder constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a similar view with a portion of the body broken away; W Fig. 4 is asectional view taken on the line l4: in Fig. 2; 1

Fig. 5 is a plan View of. the back of'the body showing a part thereof in section and with the cover in the raised position; and

Fig. 6 is an edge view thereof showing also the cover closed in dotted lines.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein only one embodiment of the invention is shown, 1 designates the body of the container and holder having a front display space or surface 2 on which articles 3, such as fiat nail files or other articles of cutlery, or in fact any desired merchandise may be placed and supported at their lower ends uponv a marginal shelf or ridge 4 projecting from the surface 2; the articles being retained in straps or loops 5 projecting out from the surface 2 and which may be formed by threading aband through slits made in the surface covering. Both the covering for the surface 2 and the straps or band 5 are suitably of a plush material to give a suitable backing effect to the articles 3 on display.

The articles 3 may be retained more or less permanently by the straps 5, in which case the display articles themselves will not be sold but they will be merely for the purpose of advertising and attracting customers, and the sales will actually be made from the stock supply in the rear of the body 1, where a series of compartments 6 are provided for this purpose. The compartments 6 preferably correspond in number to the number of the straps 5 so that as many different varieties of articles on display may be kept on hand in the stock compartments.

At the rear upper portion the body 1 is removed abovethe stock-compartments 6 in order to allow the top parts of the articles to project well beyond the compartments to the end that they may be readily grasped and removed. The articles are, however, held against escape from the compartments by the presence of a cover 7 which has a flexible hinge portion 8 connecting with the upper edge of the body 1, where it forms a closed loop or bight with the body to en counter the upper ends of the articles and prevent their movement out of the'compartments 6. p

Sockets 8 are provided on the inside lower edge of the cover 7 to cooperate with the complementaryheads 9 carried by the lower back portion of the body 1. The sockets and heads constitute a usual type of glove fastener in order to effectively hold the. cover '7 closed, yet at the same time permit' of the ready opening of the cover either to the position shown in Figs. 1., 2 and 3 or to the full open position shown in Figs. 5 and 6. An eye is secured as by a tape 11 to the upper back edge of the cover 7 to receive a hook or other support for holding the display device, for instance, against a wall.

The cover 7 is provided with a flexible tape or brace 12 stitched or otherwise secured to the inside face thereof as indicated at 13 preferably about midway its height and having a socket 14 carried at its other end for snapping over and about a resilient head 15, which parts also constitute a glove or ball and socket fastener for the detachable connection of the strap 12 with the body 1 by which the head 15 is carried, it being located as best seen in Figs. 5 and 6 above the space between the central compartments 6 which are divided and separated by partitions 16.

Asshown more particularly in Fig. 3, the body 1 may be constituted of two laminations 17 and 18 covered along both faces with plush or other fabric covering material 19 and 20, the flexible hinge portion 8 of the cover 7 being secured between the two laminations at the upper end, these laminations being spread apart for this purpose. The compartments 6 are disposed at the rear of the under lamination 18 and are constituted by the partitions 16 which are fitted against the fabric 20 at the back of the lamination 18 in combination with a supporting block 21 disposed along the lower edge of the various compartments and a backing strip 22 for closing the rear sides of the compartments. A suitable fabric or plush material 23 may be secured along the backing strip 22, and the cover 7 is preferably also provided with some such material at least on its rear or exposed side.

In use, the device may be set up for instance as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 with the cover 7 extending back at an acute angle with respect to the body 1 whereby to form an easel support for holding the device at an angle on a counter or other supporting surface with the articles 3 on display and the reserve articles in the stock compartments 6 obscured from the prospective customers view. In this condition the strap or brace 12 is engaged with the body part so as to avoid the likelihood of the body and cover spreading out to permit of a collapse of the device. In making sales in this way a customer may select one of the articles 3 and the clerk in attendance may remove such article directly from its display position on the front face 2 as .by withdrawing it upwardly from the strap 5, or he may resort to the rear compartment 6 containing a like article and serve the customer from this source. In accomplishing'this latter, the cover 7 must of course be swung upwardly substan tially into a plane with the body 1 in order to permit of the withdrawal from the compartments 6 of the relatively long articles held therein.

The completely raised position of the cover 7 is represented in Figs. 5 and 6 and this movement may be easily carried out by simply detaching the tape 12 from the head 15 on the body and in re-establishing the connection after the removal of the stock article and the restoration of the cover 7 to its proper angular position. This of course is but the work of a moment for a clerk familiar with the handling of the display device. When articles are sold from the display spaces, the clerk goes through a like routine in removing an article of stock to replenish the vacated space from which the display article has been recently sold.

The device forms not only an attractive display and advertising medium, but it further forms a unit for the transportation of display and a quantity of stock articles constituting in effect a salescabinet, and during its transportation the cover 7 is closed against the back of the body 1 and the com-' partments 6, as represented in dotted lines in Fig. 6, where it is effectively secured by the engagement of the fasteners 8 and 9. In this condition it may be placed in a paper or other box and so compactly disposed it may be carried about or shipped from place to place. When it arrives at its destination it is of course either set up in the easel form or if preferred it may be hung up against a flat surface by the use of thering 10 engaging ahook on said surface.

It will be appreciated in the trade that by the use of a device according to the present invention the use of boxes containing the stock, which are usually kept beneath the counter and have to be sorted out whenever a particular display article is sold, are en tirely dispensed with as is also the annoyance and the trouble incident to their use. The improved device will simplify the sale of articles susceptible of being displayed on a holder of this kind. and it will moreover lighten the clerks duties and will enable him to more readily and conveniently keep the display spaces constantly filled with the; proper type, size and character of article intended to be placed therein so that, consequently, the use of this device will promote the sale of merchandise and conserve the time of the attendant clerk.

It is, of course, clear that the display surface of the body may be used for the purpose of advertising the articles held by the container or holder and this advertising matter may be either impressed upon the substance of which the container is: made, or may be attached to the container,- lithographed or printed or through suitably prepared advertising means, calling the attention of the prospective purchaser to the goods on the one hand and the manufacturer or seller of the goods on the other hand. Of course, any other printed matter may be placed thereon, as for instance trademarks and the like.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of my invention, but it is obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A display container and holder comprising a thin body portion having display spaces at one side thereof and compartments for stock at the other side thereof, and a cover secured to the upper portion of the body adapted to close the stock compartments and acting as an easel to support the body in an inclined position on a show-case or the like.

2. A display container and holder comprising a body having display spaces at one side for articles and compartments for stock at the other side thereof, a cover hinged to the top portion of the body and adapted to swing downwardly to close the compartments, and detachable bracing means for lation to provide an easel for supporting the body but adapted to allow the cover to be raised for the removal of stock from the compartments.

3. A display container and holder comprising a body having a ledge along its front portion and straps above the ledge to support and retain articles on display, a series of compartments made at the rear of the body and open at their upper ends, a cover flexibly secured to the top edge of the body and adapted tov fold down against the rear face thereof to close the compartments and hold the stock therein, means whereby the .cover may be secured along its lower edge to the body, means attached to the cover at its upper hinged end whereby the device may be suspended from a. support, and a flexible tape having detachable connection between the cover and body acting to limit the angular swinging of the cover backwardly away from the body to form an easel support but being detachable to allow of the swinging of the cover in a plane substantially with the body when articles of the stock supply are to be substituted for the sold displays.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereunder.

HERMANN KIND. 

